• About
    • Partnerships
    • Contact
  • Motherhood
  • Home
    • Family
    • Littles
    • Recipes
    • Decor
  • Style
  • Beauty
  • Shop
  • TikTok

Southern Made Blog

Nashville based life & style brand

August 18, 2021 | Leave a Comment

Travel Guide: Hot Springs, Arkansas

Spread the love
visit-hot-springs-national-park-arkansas-1-2048x2048hot-springs-travel-guide

Every summer we plan a trip for one week while our boys are at their grandparent’s house. This year we knew we wanted to pick a location that was an easy drive from Nashville. We landed on Hot Springs, Arkansas and I’m so glad we did. It’s a beautiful landscape and history lured me in. This city did not disappoint!

Whether you’re planning a family vacation or a romantic getaway like us, Hot Springs is a great destination. It’s now one of our favorite cities in the South. In this travel guide, I’ll share our favorite tourists’ spots, restaurants, hotels, and more!



GARVAN WOODLAND GARDENS

Garvan Woodland Gardens is a MUST-SEE! As I searched through #visithotsprings on Instagram, this place came up constantly. There are over 200 acres of botanical gardens, stunning architecture, and beauty to take in. The Anthony Chapel was the main reason I wanted this to be one of our stops. It was absolutely breathtaking. If you want to see more, head over to my Instagram and watch through the “Hot Springs” highlight as I walk y’all through the chapel.

anthony-chapel-garvan-woodland-gardens-1536x2048
garvan-woodland-gardens-arkansas
garvan-woodland-gardens-hot-springs

BATHHOUSE ROW

Bathhouse Row was an absolute favorite! I’m a sucker for historical buildings and learning about the stories behind them. Located along Central Avenue, there are eight bathhouses that were built between the late 1800s and early 1900s. Walking through a few of these gave us a little glimpse into that era and it was pretty amazing. You can see read more about the history of these buildings here.

quapaw-baths-hot-springsbuckstaff-bathhouse-hot-springs
bathhouse-row-emporium-hot-springs-arkansas
buckstaff-bathhouse-row-hot-springs
hot-springs-national-park-arkansas
ozark-bathhouse-hot-springs-arkansas

MAGIC SPRINGS THEME & WATER PARK

Magic Springs is Arkansas’ only theme and water park. If you’re coming to Hot Springs, this needs to be on your list of things to do. We went just the two of us, but our boys would’ve loved it. They had several rides for kids and the water park is very family-friendly. Tickets include all-day use of the thrill rides, water slides, concerts, attractions, and special events.

We split it up into two days but could have easily enjoyed the entire park in one. We did a little thrill-seeking with the rollercoasters. The next day we spent several hours at the water park. We had a cabana by the pool which was so nice. The perks were definitely the privacy and having our lunch delivered to us. We spent the rest of the afternoon on the lazy river and riding the tube water slides. Such a fun day!

Magic-Springs-Arkansas-Theme-Water-Park
magic-springs-theme-park-hot-springs-arkansas
magic-springs-water-park-hot-springs
magic-springs-theme-park-hot-springs

HOT SPRINGS MOUNTAIN TOWER

Hot Springs Mountain Tower is the place to be if you want to see all of the city. It’s absolutely breathtaking with the panoramic views that cover 140 miles of the Ouachita Mountains, Hot Springs Mountain, and Diamond Lakes area. Make sure you stop at the lookout point before heading up to the tower.

hot-springs-mountain-tower-overlook
mountain-springs-tower-hot-springs
hot-springs-mountain-tower-history

hot-springs-arkansas-views


where-to-eat-in-hot-springs

Central Avenue is where you want to be to hit up all of the great restaurant options. We visited several that were delicious.

Here were a few favorites:

DELUCA’S PIZZA

Deluca’s Pizza – Incredible pizzas, burgers, desserts, and drinks. This was definitely a trendy, popular spot. The owner was so nice. Even though they were busy, he made a point to introduce himself and talk with us for a short time. If you love veggies like me, try their veggie pizza that’s off the menu. It had a little bit of spice and the flavor was phenomenal.

BUBBALU’S

Bubbalu’s – Burgers, Hot Dogs, and Milkshakes. We stopped by here for lunch after we left Bathhouse Row. It reminded me of a cute, old diner. Daniel said their chicken sandwich was amazing.

KILWIN’S

Kilwins – Fudge, truffles, ice cream, and more. This place never disappoints. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you’re not going to want to miss this one. Make sure to try my favorite… mocha truffles and dark chocolate truffles, dark chocolate sea salt apples, and caramel salted Oreos.

FAT BOTTOMED GIRLS CUPCAKES

Fat Bottomed Girls Cupcakes – Cupcakes, candy, and treats. I tried the lavender cupcake which was so yummy! We also grabbed some goodies from the candy wall to take to our boys. This bakery was featured on Cupcake Wars, which is pretty neat!

bubbalus-hot-springs
delucas-pizza-hot-springs
fat-bottomed-girls-cupcakes
kilwins-hot-springs

SUPERIOR BATHHOUSE BREWERY

Superior Bathhouse Brewery– This historic bathhouse turned small craft brewery was amazing! It had the feel of an old bathhouse but when you walk into the bar, you get an insider’s view. They’re the world’s first brewery to utilize thermal spring water as the main ingredient.

The food was incredible from appetizer to dessert. If you’re a beer lover, you’ll love it. Here’s a little tip, order the root beer float. It might’ve been my favorite. We also got a flight of four beers to try and they were all so different. Such a fun experience!

superior-bathhouse-brewery-hot-springs-

hot-springs-arkansas-dining-recommendations
hot-springs-arkansas-restaurants
superior-bathhouse-brewery-hot-springs-arkansas-food
superior-bathhouse-brewery-hot-springs-beer

where-to-stay-in-hot-springs-arkansas


THE HOTEL HOT SPRINGS

The Hotel Hot Springs – The location of this hotel is perfect! Just steps away from Central Avenue, you can walk to restaurants, bars, shopping, and more. Ask for a room on one of the top floors. The views are incredible! We could see Bathhouse Row and Hot Springs Mountain Tower. This hotel’s prices are amazing for the quality of the rooms. We ate breakfast in their restaurant and at night had a cocktail while we listened to the live music! We were so happy we started our stay here.

downtown-hot-springs-hotel-arkansas
hotel-hot-springs-arkansas-views
hot-springs-hotel-arkansas

OAKLAWN RACING CASINO RESORT

Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort – The resort and spa are brand new as of this summer. Everything was so nice and clean. Located about five to ten minutes from the downtown area, you can easily just spend the entirety of your stay on the property. We spent the last two days at the Oaklawn and focused on relaxing.

We heard their restaurant, The Buglar, was great but it had strange hours and it wasn’t open at all during our stay. The casino and Big Al’s Diner are open 24/7, so there’s always entertainment and food at your disposal.

The bed was very comfortable, so we took advantage of the room service and ate a few meals in the room, and watched some movies. Something about not having to get out of bed, eating a meal that you didn’t make, and then not having to share it with kids makes it so delish and enjoyable.

oaklawn-racing-casino-resort
oaklawn-resort-spa-racing-casino

ASTRAL SPA

Aside from the room, my favorite thing about the Oaklawn was their Astral Spa. If you go to Hot Springs, do yourself a favor and book a treatment here. I splurged and booked a facial and massage. Once those were finished, I had full access to the spa’s incredible amenities which include a needle shower, steam room, infrared sauna, whirlpool, and a cold room. This is the place to be pampered!

oaklawn-astral-spa-hot-springs
oaklawn-astral-spa-hot-springs-arkansas
oaklawn-restort-astral-spa-hot-springs

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Hot Springs. We fit a lot into a few days but still missed out on a few things. Next time we will plan to hike in Hot Springs National Park, visit the Ohio Club and The Gangster Museum, and rent a boat at the Hot Springs Marina.

Other accommodations that we will check out for our next stay:

These historic hotels in the heart of downtown – Arlington Hotel // Hale Hotel // Waters Hotel

The Reserve at Hot Springs is a one-hundred-year-old boutique hotel. Sadly, we only learned about this by passing it on our way to the Oaklawn. I would’ve loved to visit this historic estate. It was so beautiful!


Hopefully, this travel guide helps walk you through this beautiful town. If you plan a trip, I’d love to hear what your itinerary will be! If you’ve been before, what are your favorite spots? Also, y’all be sure to keep an eye out for all of the incredible murals along Central Avenue. Happy traveling, friends!

visit-hot-springs-murals

This is a sponsored post by Visit Hot Springs. All opinions are my own. A special thanks to Hotel Hot Springs, Magic Springs Theme & Water Park, Deluca’s Pizza, Superior Bathhouse Brewery, Garvan Woodland Gardens, and Hot Springs Mountain Tower for making our trip so memorable. Check out Visit Hot Springs to learn all about this amazing city and all it has to offer year-round.

Related

Stay Up To Date

You’ll Also Love

must see spots in montanaThe Ultimate Travel Guide to Montana
Travel Guide Through Napa Valley
Life Lately | Southern Made BlogLife Lately | Family is Good for the Soul

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Next Post >

My Current Skincare Routine

Looking for something?

Categories

FOLLOW ALONG

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest

Subscribe!

Southern Made on Pinterest

Follow along on Instagram

Merry Christmas from our family to yours, friends! Merry Christmas from our family to yours, friends! I hope your holiday was special and that you were surrounded by those you love. 🎄 #happybirthdayjesus
🎄 One of my favorite things about this time of 🎄 One of my favorite things about this time of year is Christmas cards! As they start to roll in, I even turn them into part of my decorations. 🎄

Do you send out Christmas cards? I love printing ours with @minted because they simplify everything during this busy season. I picked our favorite design and they shipped with pre-printed mailing and return addresses. Christmas cards made easy!! 🙌🏼

✨Use the code ASHLIECARDS2022 to get 20% off your @minted holiday card order + free expedited shipping! Offer is good through 12/5. 

#mintedpartner #mintedholiday2022 #christmascards #holidaycards #sponsoredpost
✨Come along with me for a Chemical Peel with @_s ✨Come along with me for a Chemical Peel with @_sundayskin_ in Brentwood. Check out my stories for more details from @caroline.tingquist.np ✨

If you don’t know anything about chemical peels, you’re going to have some downtime after it due to the peeling. This was my first one and I was a little nervous if I’m being honest. 🙈 This particular peel was the most intense one that Sunday Skin offers. To my surprise, the process really wasn’t bad at all. It’s was pretty warm on my face immediately after but the fan helped tremendously. 

My top layer of skin definitely peeled but it wasn’t crazy. I wish y’all could have felt the skin on my face after it healed! 🙌🏼 😍 It was glowing and the texture was so much better. The benefits from this treatment are endless! I’ll forever praise microneedling and chemical peels because of how they transform my skin.

Nashville friends, you have to go check them out. Be sure to watch the “Sunday Skin” story highlight I’ve got saved with all the deets. 

✨Ok, ladies! I want to know what is your favorite skincare treatment you’ve ever had?✨
Before the chaos of summer and our move happened, Before the chaos of summer and our move happened, we escaped to Mexico for a little vaca just the two of us. 🏝☀️

What a great trip to start this new chapter of our lives. We had uninterrupted time for each other. I started reading again and made it through two books. We got some serious vitamin D and put our phones down. Quite frankly, it was glorious. 

Do y’all find that the longer you’re away from social media the harder it is to come back? Disconnecting feels sooooo good and it gives you perspective. So, if you haven’t seen me on here much… that’s why. 

It’s so easy to get caught up in the rat race of social media. Especially when you run it as a business and feel the pressure to try and jump through IG’s hoops to get in front of the people who actually follow you and want to see your content. It’s a mental game that’s not fun to play. I miss the days where you could post freely. Without hashtags or any other tactics to get your picture in friends’ feed. Without wondering if the time of day is good to hit publish. Without wondering if you’ll get the likes and comments because that’s what helps you get jobs. It’s exhausting. 
** My blogger friends will feel me deeply on this. 

BUT what I do love about modern technology and these apps is the connection it’s brought me. I’ve got friends all over the US and these things keep me connected. They let me feel like I’m still a part of their lives from afar. It’s also allowed me to “meet” so many of you sweet IG friends. I’ve really enjoyed that aspect of this community over my 7 years on this app. 

So if you follow me and happen to scroll across this today, thank you for being here.🤍 Truly. 

Say hi in the comments or shoot me a DM. Talking with y’all and building relationships has always been my favorite thing about this space!
One of my favorite family traditions is our beach One of my favorite family traditions is our beach trip every summer. I love to see the change in my sweet boys each year with these photos. Time is truly a thief. #santarosabeach #30a 

What’s your favorite summer tradition with your family?
Something I made sure to do before leaving Nashvil Something I made sure to do before leaving Nashville was to get my brows redone and get lip blushing. I’m the kind of girl that loves to simplify where I can. The best thing about permanent makeup is that it helps you do just that. I don’t have to pencil in my brows anymore and all I wear is clear gloss. 😍🙌🏼 Obsessed is an understatement! 

I was so excited to meet Lex (@cosmeticallyinkedbylex) and get in her chair! We picked a color for my lips and she did a color correction and powder brow. I’m so excited to share my results with y’all. I’ve had so many people asking where I got them done and…

✨SURPRISE!! Lex wanted to give one of you a free session!! ✨

Now for the details!! 

✨ What you get:
* A FREE Powder Brow Session 

💥HOW TO ENTER💥
* Like this post
* Follow @southernmadeblog & @cosmeticallyinkedbylex 
* Tag 3 friends

⚡️BONUS ENTRIES⚡️
* 1 extra entry for every person you tag after the first three friends 
* 1 extra entry if you share this photo to your stories and tag @southernmadeblog & @cosmeticallyinkedbylex 

Good luck, girls! Can’t wait to see who wins!! 👏🏼👏🏼

🎉Congrats, @megrobertz! You’re the winner! 🎉

Disclaimer:
Giveaway closes Sunday, 7/30/22 at 11:59 pm CST. Winner will be announced the following Monday morning and must respond within 24 hours of being notified. Otherwise, another winner will be chosen. This giveaway is not endorsed by or associated with Instagram.
Hey, friends! It’s been a while since I’ve sha Hey, friends! It’s been a while since I’ve shared anything on here. The past few months have flown by insanely fast since announcing that we were moving to Louisiana. 

With a major transition happening with our family, I decided to put my phone down. I’ve spent the last few months spending time with my family, designing a new home build, packing our house, soaking in everything we loved in Franklin/Nashville, and being present. 

To be honest, it’s all been a bit overwhelming. I moved so much throughout my life and have lived in many houses. As I began to truly process this move, I realized the gravity of leaving our home behind. We built it in seven years ago and brought 2 of my babies home here. It’s the longest house I’ve ever lived in and it was with MY family.

When all the boxes were gone, I walked through the rooms and around the house remembering all of the memories through each stage of our life over the years. I tried to take it all in, to freeze those moments in my mind knowing it was the last time I’d be in that house. 

Walking out the front door one last time was the hardest thing I’ve done in a long time. I’m so thankful God brought us back here for a short time and all that came along with it. Many sweet memories were made on this porch and within these walls. This photo will always be one of my favorites. It signifies the close to this chapter of our lives in Franklin. I’m leaving a small bit of my heart here. We sure will miss you, Tennessee. ❤️

Copyright © 2023 Southern Made Blog · Theme by 17th Avenue

 

Loading Comments...